Music Exchange: Disc #3

I meant to be more prompt about writing these up, but there are actually three I have not even listened to in their entirety yet...including this one, as I type. I'm doing these in order of receipt, and it's time to write up Craig's CD.

When these upstart trash players from Michigan (and that's how long ago it seems) hit the scene, I was pleased to see that the one wearing the hockey sweater was the one other person on the circuit writing questions on the Replacements, one of the most important bands of my youth. But over the years, through various message board posts, blog entries, and music tournaments, my perception became that in the Venn diagram of my and Craig's musical likes, the overlap appeared quite small: 'Mats, IRS-era R.E.M., and that's about it. In particular, we're both, erm...passionate...about a certain veteran rock quartet from Ireland, only he's a fan and I am most definitely not. Since we're both very vocal about our likes and dislikes (okay, in all fairness, I'm much more vocal about my dislikes than he; he didn't give me the nickname "h8er boi" for nothing), this perception was most likely skewed.

So I started writing up his disc, and wondered if these preconceptions about our respective tastes were keeping me from giving it a fair shake. I decided that the best thing to do was start over, listen to it blind, liveblog it, and add the track info later. The theme, which we're invited to guess, is apparently a sardonic look at the compiler's adventures in "lady...ing".

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Bad Company, "Bad Company" - I think Bad Company is an underrated Classic Rock Radio band. Nowadays I can't hear their stuff without thinking of Scotland, PA.

Jamiroquai, "Alright" - Jamiroquai is often accused of being ersatz Stevie Wonder, but since Mr. Wonder himself can't be bothered to put out good stuff, I see them as performing a service. Similar to how When Harry Met Sally delivered the funny Woody Allen goods since the real supply dried up years before. The song itself is a pleasant groove; not as memorable as their megahit from a few years ago.

Maroon 5, "Woman" - Hrm...is this more Jamiroquai? Kinda smooth-jazzy, though not quite dentist's-office material. Not my thing at all. But it's...Maroon 5?! Hey, didn't Maroon 5 get some alt-rock airplay? Maybe I'm confusing them with someone.

Kasabian, "Club Foot" - Definite tone shift. I like the bass riff. A good Car Song. the spacey intros/outros go on a little long.

Counting Crows, "Hanginaround" - Don't like Counting Crows and Sideshow Bob Duritz's whining. This is one of their better songs, though.

Clint Black, "A Good run of Bad Luck" - I believe this is the only song to appear on two mixes. It's clever in that country-euphemistic way.

Old '97's, "Victoria" - I like my country with a side of alt, and this fits the bill. Oddly, it reminds me of a Material Issue song.

Gin Blossoms, "Allison Road" - I didn't like the Gin Blossoms much first time around, mostly because I got sick of "Hey Jealousy" very quickly. I like them better now (but still not that that song)

Johnny Cash, "I Won't Back Down" - The best of these Johnny Cash covers redeem songs that aren't so hot otherwise (like "Hurt," which is just whiny when Trent Reznor sings it), or take a different musical approach than the original (again, "Hurt"). Here, he takes a pretty good song to begin with and does a not-dissimilar version that's still pretty good.

Roy Orbison, 'You Got It" - Good song here, but the strings seem out of place; seems Roy should be backed by something rawer, "In Dreams" excepted.

Sarah McLachlan, "Solsbury Hill" - I wasn't sure what to make of this cover until I saw who it was by. McLachlan's voice is surprisingly strong here, and dare I say, rockin'; I'd given up on her around Surfacing when it seemed like she'd stay a yodely waif forever.

Paul Simon, "Slip Slidin' Away" - This song evokes memories of one thing; TV news montages of cars spinning around on icy streets after big storms. Maybe this only happened once or twice, but it sure seemed like an annual tradition growing up.

Starsailor, "Good Souls" - My first impression was "I don't care for this Verve song."

Snow Patrol, "Run" - This isn't too bad. I like the music more than the vocals.

Travis, "Turn" - This is what us 80's kids call a power ballad.

Oasis, "Cast No Shadow" - This Oasis? Sounds like Oasis. I don't mind them. Never felt a desire to own any of their stuff. Now that the hype's worn off, maybe they can be assessed rationally as sound, hooky pop.

U2, "Bad" - Aagh! I knew it was coming. I've heard the song before, several times, and always thought, "I'm wide awake, I'm not sleeping" was a lame lyric, especially for a refrain. But never knew that this was "Bad," the song it seems all the hardcore U2 fans call their favorite. Hm. so this is the cream of the crop, then. Ehhh... I suppose there was a point where my U2 hatred became more stance than passion. I can function in society when subjected to their music -- they're apparently the most popular band in the western world, so it's a survival skill. But I don't see myself ever understanding that popularity. I only pray that someday Paul Hewson will get the fiber in his diet that he so desperately needs.

Coldplay, "Warning Sign" - This is that huge Coldplay band. They're fiercely okay. They're just pleasing enough musically and vocally, and not as oblique as Radiohead. I don't think Chuck Klosterman is wrong whan he says they write "melodramatic alt-rock songs about fake love," but I don't find that particularly damning--in fact, minus the 'alt,' that sums up popular music since 1955, if not earlier. Still, I'm not sure what about them made them so ginormous. And it seems like more males like them than females (at least in my circles). Which strikes me as odd, because they sound like a band that guys would get into (or front on liking) just to score points with women.


And there you have it. The odds of whether a Greg/Craig roadtrip would end in a fiery crash appear lessened. Likes: Bad Company, Kasabian, Mclachlan, Oasis. Dislikes: Starsailor, Counting Crows, U2, Maroon 5. Thanks, Craig!